[A quick note: It is rare that I binge read a book or series. Itโs even rarer that I abandon my TBR to continue a series. Iโm usually perfectly fine waiting between books. Not so for the All Souls Trilogy. I could not put this series down. The moment I finished one book I was on to the next. If you havenโt read my review of A Discovery of Witches, you can check it out HERE. Otherwise here is my spoiler-free review of book 2.]
โ๐๐ง ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐, ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.โ โDeborah Harkness
For fans of time travel, this installment was a slam dunk! The amount of realism given to life in 1590 impressed me. Better still, the setting was dynamic, with time spent in London, Prague, and France. I fell even deeper in love with Diana and Matthew. Their character arcs were well balanced with the plot, with plenty of tense moments. I appreciated seeing their relationship growth and their internal struggles.
To escape the Congregation, Matthew and Diana choose to go back in time to 1590 England (London) where Diana might find some peace and witches to teach her magic. Unfortunately, peace is the last thing they find when they arrive. Especially with the witch hunts taking place in Scotland. It adds so much suspense to the plot as Diana tries to find a witch who can teach her.
As a second installment, I appreciated the slight change in feel while staying true to the style of storytelling. There was still plenty of historical detail, but it was more immersive as Diana and Matthew navigated the sixteenth century. I loved seeing references to famous historical figures, inventions, and events. For someone like Diana, who spent her life studying these things, it was great to see her delight in getting to witness things sheโd only ever read about. My favorite part of the setting was seeing the change in culture regarding males and females, as well as the clothing and food.
The relationship growth was fantastic. I loved that Matthew and Diana didnโt start off with a perfect marriage. There was so much growth, and just when you think they had peaked, they found a way to grow even closer. The dynamic of their marriage was an ebb and flow that felt realistic. I adored watching them work through their issues, all while they managed their own internal struggles. Matthew struggled to fall back into his old life and Diana struggled to master the magic within her.
โ๐๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐. ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐จ. ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐.โ โDeborah Harkness
One of my favorite parts was NEW CHARACTERS! I fell in love with Gallowglassโs character. I loved that there were a few favorites added to Matthew and Dianaโs family. It made my heart so full. My favorite part was meeting Philippe de Clairmont. I legit ugly-cried during their parting. It gave me so many feels, especially knowing Philippeโs fate. Talk about emotional.
A word of caution about the book-to-show adaptation for Season Two. I was SUPER disappointed that the show did NOT follow the book very well. It totally jumbled things and left out a few favorite moments. But I still enjoyed it.
Itโs a tough call but I might have liked book two even more than the first. This story has grabbed ahold of my heart strings in a powerful way. Itโs a favorite series now. I hope the final book ends with a bang!
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐/๐โญ๏ธ